Visiting Aunt DeeDee!!

The main reason we went to St. George was to visit my sister, Danielle.  She is living in a residential center, going through a program that will hopefully change her life.  She has been there since September and has taken her sweet time in progressing and deciding to really embrace the program or not.  My parents have seen her twice before now and both times she begged to come home.  In an answer to many, many prayers, she has really turned a corner in the past month.  She knows she needs to be there and is committed to finishing the program, no matter how long it takes (which will probably be quite a while….she probably won’t be home for Christmas). 

She wanted us to go to meet her group and it was a really neat experience.  The girls talked about how they have seen her change and how she went from sulking alone in the corner to being funny, engaged, and good friends with many of the girls.  I loved hearing from several girls that they consider her their best friend!  It was like my sister was back!  The girls asked us questions and one that really touched me was a girl that asked my parents if the decision to send Danielle away was hard or not.  I could just see it in her eyes that she was wondering if her parents were happy to send her away or if they struggled with the decision.  I don’t know her circumstances, but my parents tearfully told them that it was the hardest decision they have ever made.  Another girl asked my brother Heath and I how we felt when she left and I struggled to get the words out about how heartbreaking it was to know that she would miss out on so much of Adam’s life.  They are best buddies and she has missed so much.  Danielle loves babies and is wonderful with them so I also struggled knowing she wouldn’t get to hold and love Abigail as a newborn.  I left her group feeling for the first time in 9 months that there was hope for my sister.  If she can make it through this trial, she will lead such a wonderful life full of service and caring.  She loves animals, children, and people like her with mental health issues and those “on the outside”.  She really has the potential to be a powerful force for good in the world.

Anyway….here are a bunch of pictures.  We only got to spend a few hours in the morning and again in the afternoon over 2 days, but Adam and Abby only saw her during the mornings.  Nat was wonderful and took them back to the house for naps so that the rest of us could play games and chat.  We had a blast playing together!

 

These are the paintings that Adam made for her birthday present.  Her birthday was just a few days before our visit.

 

Danielle has taken up crocheting and made this blanket for Adam and one for Abby.  She is so talented!  

Of course she was wonderful with Abby…..although Adam kept her pretty distracted! :)

 

Now that she is progressing in the program, she should have more opportunities for visits in the future so we’re excited that it won’t be another 9 months before we get to see her again!

Mini-Vacation to St. George

We took a 5-day vacation to St. George to visit my sister and also to have some family time.  We stayed in a house owned by one of my Dad’s friends and in the backyard was a large hot tub that when turned off, was quiet refreshing in the 100 degree heat.  We spent a lot of time out there swimming and Adam loved it!  It was great because he could walk along the ledge and play without needing us to hold him all the time like he’d need in a real pool.   

I think Adam’s favorite part was shooting the squirt guns!  He and Nat had lots of fun shooting each other, then shooting me, and then Adam spent a lot of time watering the plants, the rocks, the sky, etc.

Abby was pretty “blah” about the water.  She did get excited and splash a few times but then just liked sucking on her tasty chlorine fingers.

Cute brother and sister! 
Poor Abby.
On Sunday we went to visit the grounds and visitor’s center of the St. George temple.  Every time we drove around the area, and Adam caught a glimpse of the temple, he’d say, "Look!  There’s the temple!  It’s so pretty!”
Too bad neither child is looking in the general direction of the camera!

Touching the temple.
One of the goals in our stake this year is that every child physically touches the temple to feel the spirit and power that is there.

I have always loves the St. George temple!  The bright white against the blue sky, green trees, and red rock is breathtaking!

Other than swimming and visiting the temple, the rest of the trip consisted of sleeping, playing Wii, watching movies, and eating!  It’s so nice spending time together as a family.  Even if it means loads of laundry and a crazy house upon returning home! :)